FUEL CELL VEHICLE
A fuel cell vehicle is provided. The fuel cell vehicle includes a fuel cell, a junction box that is disposed on the fuel cell and includes a first bus bar, a power controller that is disposed at the rear side of the fuel cell and includes a second bus bar, and a fastening part that fastens the first bus bar and the second bus bar in a fastening space to electrically connect the junction box and the power controller to each other. One of the junction box and the power controller includes a tool inlet to allow access to the fastening space from the outside.
This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0178569, filed on Dec. 18, 2020, which is hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.
BACKGROUND Field of the DisclosureThe present disclosure relates to a fuel cell vehicle and, more particularly, to a fuel cell vehicle that has a power controller and a junction box, which are advantageously arranged in terms of space utilization and energy transfer.
Discussion of the Related ArtIn general, a vehicle including a fuel cell (hereinafter referred to as a “fuel cell vehicle”) may require various levels of power from the fuel cell. If the driving voltage of the fuel cell vehicle is greater than the output voltage of the fuel cell, a high-voltage boosting-type direct-current (DC)/direct-current (DC) converter (or a fuel-cell DC/DC converter (FDC)) is required to boost the output voltage of the fuel cell. The FDC is one of the bulky components in the fuel cell vehicle. Therefore, there is need to solve a problem of an increase in the volume of the fuel cell vehicle attributable to installation of the FDC thereto. Further, since the FDC needs to be closely connected to a junction box for the process of transferring energy, the arrangement of the FDC and the junction box is important affecting fuel cell vehicles.
SUMMARYAccordingly, exemplary embodiments are directed to a fuel cell vehicle that substantially obviates one or more problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art. The present disclosure provides a fuel cell vehicle that has a power controller and a junction box, which are advantageously arranged in terms of space utilization and energy transfer.
However, the objects to be accomplished by the exemplary embodiments are not limited to the above-mentioned objects, and other objects not mentioned herein will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.
A fuel cell vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment may include a fuel cell, a junction box disposed on the fuel cell and including a first bus bar, a power controller disposed at the rear side of the fuel cell to boost the output voltage of the fuel cell, the power controller having a second bus bar, and a fastening part configured to fasten the first bus bar and the second bus bar in a fastening space to electrically connect the junction box and the power controller to each other. One of the junction box and the power controller may include a tool inlet to allow access to the fastening space from the outside.
For example, the fastening part may include a fastening member configured to directly fasten the first bus bar and the second bus bar. For example, the fastening member may include screw parts passing through the first bus bar and the second bus bar in a fastening direction to be threaded with the first bus bar and the second bus bar, respectively.
The fastening part may include a terminal block having a terminal bus bar including a first end portion, connected to the first bus bar, and a second end portion, connected to the second bus bar, a first fastening member configured to directly fasten the first bus bar and the first end portion of the terminal bus bar, and a second fastening member configured to directly fasten the second bus bar and the second end portion of the terminal bus bar.
The first fastening member may include a first screw part passing through the first bus bar and the first end portion of the terminal bus bar in the fastening direction to be threaded with the first bus bar and the first end portion of the terminal bus bar, and the second fastening member may include a second screw part passing through the second bus bar and the second end portion of the terminal bus bar in the fastening direction to be threaded with the second bus bar and the second end portion of the terminal bus bar.
The tool inlet may overlap the fastening space in the fastening direction. The junction box may include the fastening space and the tool inlet, the second bus bar may protrude from the power controller to the inside of the junction box, and the terminal block may be connected to the power controller and may protrude to the inside of the junction box.
The fastening space may overlap the power controller in a vertical direction. The junction box may be configured to be openable and closable to form the tool inlet, and may include a first main cover overlapping the fastening space in the fastening direction. The first main cover may include a first cover portion, overlapping the fuel cell in the vertical direction, and a second cover portion, overlapping the fastening space in the vertical direction.
Additionally, the first cover portion and the second cover portion may be integrally formed to be opened and closed together. For example, the first cover portion and the second cover portion may be formed to be opened and closed separately from each other. The fuel cell vehicle may further include a first sealing member disposed at a contact portion between the junction box and the power controller.
The fuel cell vehicle may further include a first annular cover having a first hollow portion that overlaps the tool inlet in the junction box in the fastening direction. The first annular cover may be disposed on a side portion of the junction box. The first hollow portion and the tool inlet may communicate with each other to expose the fastening space. Additionally, the fuel cell vehicle may include a second sealing member disposed at a contact portion between the first annular cover and the side portion of the junction box to surround the first hollow portion.
Further, the power controller may include the fastening space and the tool inlet, the first bus bar may protrude from the junction box to the inside of the power controller, and the terminal block may be connected to the junction box and may protrude to the inside of the power controller. The fastening space may overlap the junction box in a horizontal direction. For example, the power controller may be opened and closed to form the tool inlet, and may include a second main cover overlapping the fastening space in the fastening direction.
The second main cover may include a third cover portion, that overlaps the fuel cell in the horizontal direction, and a fourth cover portion, that overlaps the fastening space in the horizontal direction. For example, the third cover portion and the fourth cover portion may be integrally formed to be opened and closed together. The third cover portion and the fourth cover portion may be formed to be opened and closed separately from each other.
The fuel cell vehicle may further include a third sealing member disposed at a contact portion between the junction box and the power controller. In addition, the fuel cell vehicle may include a second annular cover having a second hollow portion that overlaps the tool inlet in the power controller in the fastening direction. The second annular cover may be disposed on a side portion of the power controller. The second hollow portion and the tool inlet may communicate with each other to expose the fastening space. The fuel cell vehicle may further include a fourth sealing member disposed at a contact portion between the second annular cover and the side portion of the power controller to surround the second hollow portion.
Arrangements and exemplary embodiments may be described in detail with reference to the following drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like elements and wherein:
The present disclosure will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which various exemplary embodiments are shown. The examples, however, may be embodied in many different forms, and should not be construed as being limited to the exemplary embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be more thorough and complete, and will more fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art.
It is understood that the term “vehicle” or “vehicular” or other similar term as used herein is inclusive of motor vehicles in general such as passenger automobiles including sports utility vehicles (SUV), buses, trucks, various commercial vehicles, watercraft including a variety of boats and ships, aircraft, and the like, and includes hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, combustion, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, hydrogen-powered vehicles and other alternative fuel vehicles (e.g. fuels derived from resources other than petroleum).
Although exemplary embodiment is described as using a plurality of units to perform the exemplary process, it is understood that the exemplary processes may also be performed by one or plurality of modules. Additionally, it is understood that the term controller/control unit refers to a hardware device that includes a memory and a processor and is specifically programmed to execute the processes described herein. The memory is configured to store the modules and the processor is specifically configured to execute said modules to perform one or more processes which are described further below.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
Unless specifically stated or obvious from context, as used herein, the term “about” is understood as within a range of normal tolerance in the art, for example within 2 standard deviations of the mean. “About” can be understood as within 10%, 9%, 8%, 7%, 6%, 5%, 4%, 3%, 2%, 1%, 0.5%, 0.1%, 0.05%, or 0.01% of the stated value. Unless otherwise clear from the context, all numerical values provided herein are modified by the term “about.”
It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “on” or “under” another element, it may be directly on/under the element, or one or more intervening elements may also be present. When an element is referred to as being “on” or “under”, “under the element” as well as “on the element” may be included based on the element. In addition, relational terms, such as “first”, “second”, “on/upper part/above” and “under/lower part/below”, are used only to distinguish between one subject or element and another subject or element, without necessarily requiring or involving any physical or logical relationship or sequence between the subjects or elements.
Hereinafter, fuel cell vehicles 200A, 200B, 200C, 200D and 200E according to exemplary embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The fuel cell vehicles 200A, 200B, 200C, 200D and 200E will be described using the Cartesian coordinate system (x-axis, y-axis, z-axis) for convenience of description, but may also be described using other coordinate systems. In the Cartesian coordinate system, the x-axis, the y-axis, and the z-axis are perpendicular to each other, but the exemplary embodiments are not limited thereto. In other words, the x-axis, the y-axis, and the z-axis may intersect each other obliquely. For convenience of description, at least one of the x-axis or the y-axis will be referred to as a “horizontal direction”, and the z-axis will be referred to as a “vertical direction”.
Hereinafter, each of the fuel cell vehicles 200A to 200E according to the exemplary embodiments shown in
The unit fuel cell included in the fuel cell 210 may include end plates (or pressing plates or compression plates) (not shown), current collectors (not shown), and a cell stack (not shown). The cell stack may include a plurality of unit cells, which are stacked in the horizontal direction (e.g. the x-axis direction or the y-axis direction). Several tens to several hundreds of unit cells, e.g. 100 to 400 unit cells, may be stacked to form the cell stack.
Each unit cell may generate about 0.6 volts to 1.0 volts of electricity, on average 0.7 volts of electricity. Thus, the number of unit fuel cells included in the fuel cell 210 and the number of unit cells included in the cell stack of the unit fuel cell may be determined in accordance with the intensity of the power to be supplied from the fuel cell 210 to a load. Here, “load” may refer to a part of each of the fuel cell vehicles 200A to 200E that requires power. The end plates may be disposed at respective ends of the cell stack, and may support and fix the plurality of unit cells. In other words, the first end plate may be disposed at a first end of the two ends of the cell stack, and the second end plate may be disposed at a second end of the two ends of the cell stack.
In addition, the fuel cell 210 may further include a clamping member (not shown), which has a bar shape, a long bolt shape, a belt shape, or a rigid rope shape to clamp the plurality of unit cells. For example, in each unit fuel cell, the clamping member may clamp the plurality of unit cells together with the end plates in the horizontal direction.
The junction box 220 may be disposed on the fuel cell 210. The junction box 220 may be configured to distribute the power generated in the cell stack of the fuel cell 210. For example, the junction box 220 may include fuses (not shown) and relays (not shown) to operate peripheral auxiliary components (balance-of-plant (BOP)) assisting in the operation of the fuel cell 210. The junction box 220 may include a first body B1 and a first main cover C1. The first body B1 may accommodate fuses and relays. Accordingly, the first body B1 forms a space together with the first main cover C1, in which the fuses and the relays are accommodated. The first main cover C1 may be detachably disposed on at least one of the upper portion or the side portion of the first body B1.
The power controller 230 may be disposed between the fuel cell 210 and the occupant compartment 110, i.e. at the rear side of the fuel cell 210, to boost the output voltage of the fuel cell 210. For example, the power controller 230 may include a high-voltage boosting-type direct-current (DC)/direct-current (DC) converter (or a fuel-cell DC/DC converter (FDC)).
According to the exemplary embodiment, the accommodation space in which the fuel cell 210, the junction box 220, the power controller 230, and the fastening part are accommodated may be at least one of the first space 120 or the second space 130 shown in
In each of the fuel cell vehicles 200A to 200E according to the exemplary embodiments, the fastening part serves to electrically connect the junction box 220 and the power controller 230 to each other in the fastening space 240. Accordingly, the junction box 220 may include a first bus bar, and the power controller 230 may include a second bus bar. For example, the voltage generated by the fuel cell 210 may be transferred to the power controller 230 via the junction box 210 and boosted, and the boosted voltage may be transferred to the junction box 210. The junction box 210 may be configured to transfer the boosted voltage to the load of the fuel cell vehicle. Therefore, the junction box 220 and the power controller 230 may be electrically connected to each other.
In addition, each of the fuel cell vehicles 200A to 200E according to the exemplary embodiments may further include a tool inlet, which allows a tool (or a user) to access the fastening space 240 from the outside to manipulate the fastening part to fasten the first bus bar and the second bus bar. The tool inlet may be included in one of the junction box 220 and the power controller 230. In each of the fuel cell vehicles 200A, 200B and 200C shown in
In each of the fuel cell vehicles 200A to 200E shown in
Hereinafter, various exemplary embodiments of the fuel cell vehicle according to the exemplary embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The fastening part may directly connect the first bus bar and the second bus bar, or may indirectly connect the first bus bar and the second bus bar via a terminal block. In each of the fuel cell vehicles 200A, 200B and 200C shown in
According to an exemplary embodiment, in each of the fuel cell vehicles 200A to 200C shown in
According to another exemplary embodiment, in each of the fuel cell vehicles 200D and 200E shown in
First, exemplary embodiments of the fuel cell vehicles 200A to 200C shown in
The first bus bar 222 shown in
The fastening part may include a fastening member for directly fastening the first bus bar 222 (222A and 222B) and the second bus bar 232 (232A and 232B). Accordingly, as shown in
In particular, the first screw part 242 passes through the first and third through-holes HA1 and HA2 in the fastening direction (e.g. the z-axis direction, that is, the vertical direction) to be threaded with the 1-1st bus bar 222A and the 2-1st bus bar 232A, thereby fastening the 1-1st bus bar 222A and the 2-1st bus bar 232A. Similarly, the second screw part 244 passes through the second and fourth through-holes HB1 and HB2 in the fastening direction (e.g. the z-axis direction, that is, the vertical direction) to be threaded with the 1-2nd bus bar 222B and the 2-2nd bus bar 232B, thereby fastening the 1-2nd bus bar 222B and the 2-2nd bus bar 232B.
The first and second screw parts 242 and 244 may include male threads formed on the outer circumferential surfaces thereof, which come into contact with the first to fourth through-holes HA1, HB1, HA2 and HB2, and the first to fourth through-holes HA1, HB1, HA2 and HB2 may include female threads formed on the inner circumferential surfaces thereof, which come into contact with the first and second screw parts 242 and 244, to mesh with the male threads of the first and second screw parts 242 and 244.
In addition, to increase ease of assembly, as shown in
When the openable/closable second cover portion C12 of the first main cover C1 is opened in the direction of the arrow A1, the tool inlet may be opened to allow a tool (or a user) to access the fastening space 240 in the fuel cell vehicle from the outside to manipulate the first and second screw parts 242 and 244, which are fastening members, to fasten the first bus bars 222A and 222B and the second bus bars 232A and 232B. According to an exemplary embodiment, as shown in
In the fuel cell vehicle shown in
Unlike what is shown in
The fuel cell vehicle shown in
The first annular cover 260 may have a first hollow portion 260H, which overlaps the tool inlet 220P in the junction box 220 in the fastening direction, and may be disposed on the side portion of the junction box 220. In particular, the first hollow portion 260H in the first annular cover 260 and the tool inlet 220P in the junction box 220 may communicate with each other to expose the fastening space 240 to the outside.
In each of the fuel cell vehicles shown in
In the fuel cell vehicles shown in
In each of the fuel cell vehicles shown in
Each of the fuel cell vehicles shown in
Unlike the fuel cell vehicles shown in
In each of the fuel cell vehicles shown in
Unlike the fuel cell vehicle shown in
The terminal block 270 may be connected to the power controller 230, and may protrude from the power controller 230 toward the junction box 220 in the vertical direction. The terminal block 270 may include a second body B2 and a terminal bus bar 272. The second body B2 may be made of an insulating material. At least a portion of the terminal bus bar 272 may be embedded in the second body B2. The terminal bus bar 272 may include first and second end portions E1 and E2. The first end portion E1 of the terminal bus bar 272 may be connected to the first bus bar 222, and the second end portion E2 thereof may be connected to the second bus bar 232. Although not seen in the cross-sectional view of
The first fastening member may directly fasten the first bus bar 222 and the first end portion E1 of the terminal bus bar 272, and the second fastening member may directly fasten the second bus bar 232 and the second end portion E2 of the terminal bus bar 272. For example, the first fastening member may include a first screw part 244A, and the second fastening member may include a second screw part 244B. The first screw part 244A may pass through the first bus bar 222 and the first end portion E1 of the terminal bus bar 272 in the fastening direction (e.g. the z-axis direction, that is, the vertical direction) to be threaded with the first bus bar 222 and the first end portion E1 of the terminal bus bar 272.
The second screw part 244B may pass through the second bus bar 232 and the second end portion E2 of the terminal bus bar 272 in the fastening direction (e.g. the z-axis direction, that is, the vertical direction) to be threaded with the second bus bar 232 and the second end portion E2 of the terminal bus bar 272. In the same method as the method in which the first and second screw parts 242 and 244 shown in
As shown in
Unlike the fuel cell vehicle shown in
The first end portion of the terminal bus bar 272 may include a 1-1st terminal bus bar 272A1, which corresponds to a positive terminal, and a 1-2nd terminal bus bar 272A2, which corresponds to a negative terminal. In addition, the second end portion of the terminal bus bar 272 may include a 2-1st terminal bus bar 272B1, which corresponds to a positive terminal, and a 2-2nd terminal bus bar 272B2, which corresponds to a negative terminal. Although not shown, the 1-1st terminal bus bar 272A1 and the 2-1st terminal bus bar 272B1 may be electrically connected to each other via a first connection bus bar embedded in the second body B2, and the 1-2nd terminal bus bar 272A2 and the 2-2nd terminal bus bar 272B2 may be electrically connected to each other via a second connection bus bar embedded in the second body B2. The first fastening member may include a 1-1st screw part 242A and a 1-2nd screw part 244A, and the second fastening member may include a 2-1st screw part 242B and a 2-2nd screw part 244B.
Referring to
In
In particular, as shown in
Hereinafter, an exemplary embodiment of the fuel cell vehicles 200D and 200E shown in
In each of the fuel cell vehicles shown in
Unlike the fuel cell vehicle shown in
When the openable/closable fourth cover portion C22 of the second main cover C2 is opened in the direction of the arrow A2, the tool inlet may be opened to allow a tool (or a user) to access the fastening space 240 in the fuel cell vehicle from the outside to manipulate the first and second screw parts 242 and 244, which are fastening members, using the tool to fasten the first bus bars 222A and 222B and the second bus bars 232A and 232B.
According to an exemplary embodiment, as shown in
In the fuel cell vehicle shown in
Unlike what is shown in
According to another exemplary embodiment, as shown in
In the fuel cell vehicle shown in
The fuel cell vehicle shown in
The second annular cover 262 may have a second hollow portion 262H, which overlaps the tool inlet 230P in the power controller 230 in the fastening direction (e.g. the y-axis direction), and may be disposed on the side portion of the power controller 230. In particular, the second hollow portion 262H in the second annular cover 262 and the tool inlet 230P in the power controller 230 may communicate with each other to expose the fastening space 240 to the outside.
In each of the fuel cell vehicles shown in
In contrast, in the fuel cell vehicle shown in
In each of the fuel cell vehicles shown in
Each of the fuel cell vehicles shown in
Unlike the fuel cell vehicles shown in
The second annular cover 262 may have the same shape as the first annular cover 260 shown in
In each of the fuel cell vehicles shown in
Unlike the fuel cell vehicle shown in
In the fuel cell vehicle shown in
The terminal block 270 may be connected to the junction box 220, and may protrude from the junction box 220 toward the power controller 230 in the horizontal direction. The terminal block 270 may include a second body B2 and a terminal bus bar 272. The first fastening member may directly fasten the first bus bar 222 and the first end portion E1 of the terminal bus bar 272, and the second fastening member may directly fasten the second bus bar 232 and the second end portion E2 of the terminal bus bar 272.
A first screw part 244A, which is the first fastening member, may pass through the first bus bar 222 and the first end portion E1 of the terminal bus bar 272 in the fastening direction (e.g. the x-axis direction) to be threaded with the first bus bar 222 and the first end portion E1 of the terminal bus bar 272. A second screw part 244B, which is the second fastening member, may pass through the second bus bar 232 and the second end portion E2 of the terminal bus bar 272 in the fastening direction (e.g. the x-axis direction) to be threaded with the second bus bar 232 and the second end portion E2 of the terminal bus bar 272.
In the same method as the method in which the first and second screw parts 242 and 244 shown in
In the fuel cell vehicle shown in
The second terminal bus bar 272B shown in
Although not shown, the terminal bus bar 272 shown in
The fastening part shown in
For parts that are not shown in
Hereinafter, a fuel cell vehicle according to a comparative example and the fuel cell vehicle according to the exemplary embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
In the case of the first comparative example, the junction box 22, which is located on the fuel cell 21, and the power controller 23, which is located under the fuel cell 21, may be connected to each other via the connector and the wire 24. However, in the case of the first comparative example, when driving parts, such as a motor speed reducer and a drive shaft, are disposed under the fuel cell 21, the space under the fuel cell 21 may be insufficient to accommodate the power controller 23 therein.
Further, since it is necessary to secure space in which to dispose the connector and wire 24, the design for arrangement of the fuel cell 21, the junction box 22, and the power controller 23 becomes complicated. Furthermore, since it is necessary to secure space for installation and removal of the connector and the wire 24, freedom of design is limited, space utilization is deteriorated, and the process of manufacturing a fuel cell vehicle becomes complicated, resulting in an increase in manufacturing costs.
In the case of the second comparative example, the junction box 22 and the power controller 23 are disposed on the fuel cell 21. Therefore, when the junction box 22 and the power controller 23 are directly connected to each other by a bus bar, the connector and the wiring 24 provided in the first comparative example are not required.
However, as the minimum distance MD that the hood VH and the junction box 22 are spaced apart from each other in the z-axis direction, which is the vertical direction, decreases, the impact applied to a pedestrian who collides with a vehicle may increase. Further, when the minimum distance MD is not sufficient, it may be impossible to dispose the junction box 22 and the power controller 23 on the fuel cell 21. Thus, the second comparative example shown in
In contrast, in the fuel cell vehicle according to the exemplary embodiment, the junction box 220 may be disposed on the fuel cell 210, the power controller 230 may be disposed at the rear side of the fuel cell 210, and the first bus bar and the second bus bar may be fastened to each other by the fastening part in the fastening space 240, which is located in the junction box 220 or the power controller 230. Thus, the connector and the wire 24 shown in
In addition, unlike the first comparative example, in which the power controller 23 is disposed under the fuel cell 21, the fuel cell vehicle according to the exemplary embodiment is structured such that the power controller 230 is disposed at the rear side of the fuel cell 210, rather than under the fuel cell 210, thereby improving utilization of space under the fuel cell 210. In addition, unlike what is shown in
In addition, when the fuel cell vehicle according to the exemplary embodiment has the configuration shown in
In addition, each of the fuel cell vehicles shown in
As is apparent from the above description, the fuel cell vehicle according to the exemplary embodiment is advantageous in that connection between the first bus bar and the second bus bar is simplified, efficiency of power transfer is improved, the volume of the fuel cell vehicle is minimal, the design of the fuel cell vehicle is simplified, the cost of manufacturing the fuel cell vehicle is reduced, the process of manufacturing the fuel cell vehicle is simplified, and efficiency of utilization of space under the fuel cell is improved. In addition, the exemplary embodiment is capable of being applied to a vehicle, and a useless or unnecessary space is not formed under a hood, whereby space utilization is improved. In addition, it may be possible to prevent deformation of a cowl panel during a collision of the vehicle. In addition, the exemplary embodiment exhibits improved efficiency of assembly and airtightness, and facilitates maintenance and repair.
However, the effects achievable through the disclosure are not limited to the above-mentioned effects, and other effects not mentioned herein will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the above description. The above-described various embodiments may be combined with each other without departing from the scope of the present disclosure unless they are incompatible with each other. In addition, for any element or process that is not described in detail in any of the various embodiments, reference may be made to the description of an element or a process having the same reference numeral in another exemplary embodiment, unless otherwise specified.
While the present disclosure has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, these exemplary embodiments are only proposed for illustrative purposes, and do not restrict the present disclosure, and it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made without departing from the essential characteristics of the exemplary embodiments set forth herein. For example, respective configurations set forth in the exemplary embodiments may be modified and applied. Further, differences in such modifications and applications should be construed as falling within the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.
Claims
1. A fuel cell vehicle, comprising:
- a fuel cell;
- a junction box disposed on the fuel cell, the junction box including a first bus bar;
- a power controller disposed at a rear side of the fuel cell, the power controller including a second bus bar; and
- a fastening part configured to fasten the first bus bar and the second bus bar in a fastening space to electrically connect the junction box and the power controller to each other,
- wherein one of the junction box and the power controller includes a tool inlet to allow access to the fastening space from an outside.
2. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the fastening part includes a fastening member configured to directly fasten the first bus bar and the second bus bar.
3. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the fastening member includes screw parts passing through the first bus bar and the second bus bar in a fastening direction to be threaded with the first bus bar and the second bus bar, respectively.
4. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the fastening part includes:
- a terminal block having a terminal bus bar, the terminal bus bar includes a first end portion, connected to the first bus bar, and a second end portion, connected to the second bus bar;
- a first fastening member configured to directly fasten the first bus bar and the first end portion of the terminal bus bar; and
- a second fastening member configured to directly fasten the second bus bar and the second end portion of the terminal bus bar.
5. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 4, wherein:
- the first fastening member includes a first screw part passing through the first bus bar and the first end portion of the terminal bus bar in a fastening direction to be threaded with the first bus bar and the first end portion of the terminal bus bar, and
- the second fastening member includes a second screw part passing through the second bus bar and the second end portion of the terminal bus bar in the fastening direction to be threaded with the second bus bar and the second end portion of the terminal bus bar.
6. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the tool inlet overlaps the fastening space in a fastening direction.
7. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 6, wherein the junction box includes the fastening space and the tool inlet, wherein the second bus bar protrudes from the power controller to an inside of the junction box, and wherein the terminal block is connected to the power controller and protrudes to the inside of the junction box.
8. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 7, wherein the fastening space overlaps the power controller in a vertical direction.
9. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 7, wherein the junction box is configured to be openable and closable to form the tool inlet, and includes a first main cover overlapping the fastening space in the fastening direction.
10. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 9, wherein the first main cover includes:
- a first cover portion overlapping the fuel cell in a vertical direction; and
- a second cover portion overlapping the fastening space in the vertical direction.
11. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 10, wherein the first cover portion and the second cover portion are integrally formed to be opened and closed together.
12. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 10, wherein the first cover portion and the second cover portion are formed to be opened and closed separately from each other.
13. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 7, further comprising:
- a first annular cover including a first hollow portion overlapping the tool inlet in the junction box in the fastening direction, the first annular cover being disposed on a side portion of the junction box,
- wherein the first hollow portion and the tool inlet communicate with each other to expose the fastening space.
14. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 6, wherein the power controller includes the fastening space and the tool inlet, wherein the first bus bar protrudes from the junction box to an inside of the power controller, and wherein the terminal block is connected to the junction box and protrudes to the inside of the power controller.
15. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 14, wherein the fastening space overlaps the junction box in a horizontal direction.
16. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 14, wherein the power controller is configured to be openable and closable to form the tool inlet, and includes a second main cover overlapping the fastening space in the fastening direction.
17. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 16, wherein the second main cover includes:
- a third cover portion overlapping the fuel cell in a horizontal direction; and
- a fourth cover portion overlapping the fastening space in the horizontal direction.
18. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 17, wherein the third cover portion and the fourth cover portion are integrally formed to be opened and closed together.
19. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 17, wherein the third cover portion and the fourth cover portion are formed to be opened and closed separately from each other.
20. The fuel cell vehicle according to claim 14, further comprising:
- a second annular cover including a second hollow portion overlapping the tool inlet in the power controller in the fastening direction, the second annular cover being disposed on a side portion of the power controller,
- wherein the second hollow portion and the tool inlet communicate with each other to expose the fastening space.
Type: Application
Filed: Aug 2, 2021
Publication Date: Jun 23, 2022
Patent Grant number: 11850957
Inventors: Yun Kyung Park (Seongnam), Seung Jun Yeon (Yongin)
Application Number: 17/391,649